Campbell County Community News

Original 1924 campaign poster for Democrats John W. Davis and Charles W. Bryan / Woman’s National Democratic Club Archives

When Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, secretly gave Sinclair Oil permission to drill in the Teapot Dome oil reserve near Midwest/Edgerton, he started a scandal that fully came to light after the death of President Warren G. Harding. Ultimately, Fall would be the first U.S. Cabinet member ever convicted for crimes committed while in office.

The Teapot Dome Scandal shows the importance of Wyoming in our nation’s history, and how tenacious Wyoming citizens would not allow their state to be exploited. It was Senator John Kendrick who heard from his constituents that Teapot Dome was being leased, leading to the investigation that eventually brought about criminal charges for Harding's administration.

Thursday, January 10, historian and Gillette native Lucas Fralick will be presenting details from the Teapot Dome Scandal at the Campbell County Rockpile Museum. The event is free, and starts at 7 p.m.

For additional information about this event or the Campbell County Rockpile Museum, please call CCRM at (307) 682-5723 or visit www.rockpilemuseum.com.

Lucas Fralick is a Master’s Candidate of History at the University of Wyoming and specializes in 20th century American Politics and Policy, set to graduate the Spring of 2019. He graduated from Campbell County High School in 2012 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from Black Hills State University in 2016.